


The Robotics Lab

by crore



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Awkward Romance, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, no groot sorry guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2019-01-28 22:11:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12616664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crore/pseuds/crore
Summary: All Peter Quill wants are supportive friends and Tony Stark.





	The Robotics Lab

Peter wasn’t obsessed.

 

No, the word Gamora used was, “infatuated” and Gamora always liked to be right. So that was that. Peter was simply very observant that there was a person on the other side of campus that had a tongue like a sword, and a crease between his eyebrows when he was concentrated, and a -holy _fuck-_ a smile that just-

 

“Stop that.”

 

He jerked. She didn’t even look up from the phone held between her perfectly manicured nails, the sea of shimmering green gleamed from the sun that peeked between the leaves.

 

Peter cleared his throat, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He pulled on the blades of grass between his fingers, twisting them together.

 

The sign was audible between them, and Peter could practically hear her rolling her eyes at him, “You know exactly what I am talking about.” And tapping on her phone resumed once again.

 

“How do you even _know_ , seriously-“

 

“Is he talking about Stark again?” A thud was heard beside him, and from the corner of his eye he could see the red intricate designs that furled up Drax’ arm.

 

Peter let out a splutter, “No.” He said. There was Gamora again, rolling her eyes, and he could _feel_ it radiating from her. “No I was not, thank you Drax.”

 

“Peter,” Drax blatantly ignored him and gazed out at the other students littered across the grassy field, books spread, a quiet chatter buzzed around them, “Perhaps Stark is not the one for you. If he were, would he not have noticed you staring every time you are both working in the robotics lab?” Peter let out a long groan, leave it to Drax to never leave a single detail out. “You just need to find-“

 

“-Someone as pathetic as me. Yeah, Drax you’ve mentioned it many times already.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

Peter put his face in his palms, Drax didn’t quite grasp sarcasm just yet and as much as he loved Drax there were times where he just… wanted to scream.

 

“Where’s Rocket?” he asked, voice muffled by his palms.

 

“The robotics lab.” Gamora said.

 

“Robotics lab?”

 

“What did I just say?” Exasperation evident in her voice.

 

Peter hastily stuffed his books into his knapsack, “Well, I’m heading off, see you guys later.” Because the robotics lab meant Tony and building a bunch of weird shit, even if it meant Rocket wouldn’t shut up and stop being an ass because, no Rocket, I’m not here to see Tony. Shut _up_. I said, shut _up_.

 

And so, Peter found himself standing in front of the tall looming doors of the robotics lab and it was as if even they were taunting him. It wasn’t like it was his fourth time visiting like _last week_ but even Peter knew it was pitiful.

 

“Why am I doing this?” He mutters, his hand coming down to rest on his Walkman, tapping anxiously at it. “You know what…” He harshly whispered to himself, “this is dumb. This is the dumbest most stupidest thing you’ve ever done and you don’t even talk to-“

 

“Oh hey Peter.”

 

The smug voice of Rocket made Peter want to get on a spaceship, fly it to the nearest planet, land on it, and just live there forever and ever so he wouldn’t have to deal with his _bullying_ friends.

 

“Hey Rocket.” He said, glaring at the door. He didn’t even want to look at Rocket. And, no, it wasn’t because of shame, Peter still had plenty of dignity left to lose.

 

Rocket smirked, and cleared his throat, “So, erm, aren’t you going to come in Peter?”

 

Tilting his head back, Peter released a huff of air and barged into the laboratory with Rocket behind him.

 

Whilst Rocket slandered over to his own desk, Peter took the time to quietly marvel at how the look of oil slicked fingers tangled up in wires could even look attractive, or the snug brown stained (either from the oil or from the coffee, who even knew at this point?) wife-beater he wore.

 

But alike the many things Peter couldn’t do, quietly was one them.

 

The loud clatter of tools falling made Tony jerk his head up from the mess of wiring he worked, and a grin stretched over his face when he saw Peter.

 

“What the hell man!” Rocket exclaimed, “Watch it!”, but Peter honestly… couldn’t care less that he walked into Rocket’s clattered table, too absorbed with staring at the amazing being of a person, of whom was Tony Stark.

 

“Hey.” Peter beamed, walking towards Tony, and away from the Rocket, pulled out a chair in front of his workstation and settling in front of him.

 

“Hey yourself” Tony smiled, “What’s up?”

 

Peter shrugged, leaning on the table, “It’s alright,” he replied, “I got kinda bored so I came to visit my friend Rocket.”

 

A scoff was heard at the other end of the room, “Yeah right.”

 

Peter coughed, and a heat of red arose on his face. He laughed nervously, his eyes darting to the ceiling where the fluorescent lights glared at him.

 

“Are you sure Rocket’s the only person you’ve come to see?” Teased Tony.

 

Peter gargled a series of alien-like sounds. “I-I mean, there are plenty of _other_ people to see, you-you know.” He yammered, tussling up his ginger curls, and scratching the back of his neck nervously.

 

Tony let out a hum, ducking his head back down to work on a piece of a very complicated-looking instrument.

 

The air was thick with unspoken words and the constant bang, bang, **bang** , of Rockets _stupid_ hammer kept ringing in Peter’s ears, almost driving him insane, to the point of, what the _hell-_

“You free?”

 

To confess, Peter knew that the half insane shout would probably discourage a normal person, but hell, it was a Wednesday afternoon, the peak of the ‘when will this week end’ lingering feeling that resided in almost everyone on the campus had driven Peter to madness.

 

“Yeah I am.”

 

Now he could barely breathe.

 

“Oh, _oh_ , that’s-that’s great! Do you wanna maybe, I dunno, get a coffee-“ Peter rattled on nervously-

 

“-A coffee sounds good.” He replied with an upward twitch of the mouth and a pink flush in the cheeks.

 

_Great._

 


End file.
